Advocacy groups decry attacks on S. Sudan journalists

March 11, 2016 (JUBA) – At least 12 attacks on journalists in South Sudan were registered in the last three months alone, local media advocacy groups said Friday amidst fears this could worsen.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, both the Association of Media Development in South Sudan (ADMISS) and the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) described the situation as “alarming.”

“From late December 2015 to March 2016, a record of twelve cases of threats, intimidation, detention, kidnapping, shooting and torture of journalists has been recorded,” partly reads the joint statement.

The group said it had documented several cases of attacks on journalists, in Western Bahr Ghazal, Yambio and the capital, Juba.

“Crimes of this nature against journalist also constitute crimes against the rights of the ordinary citizens to know and access information,”, the group said, faulting the government for failing to hold anyone responding and for “further exacerbating a culture of impunity.”

Alfred Taban, the chairperson of ADMISS, said the harassment meted on journalists threatens the future of media in South Sudan and that the government has a constitutional mandate to protect its citizens.

“According to the constitution, the government should be able to protect all its citizens but it is clear that the government is not able to protect journalists and we therefore lay the blame on the course of the government,” said Taban, a former BBC stringer.

He, however, expressed fears that most journalists could leave the media profession and venture in to other fields to save their lives.

Meanwhile the African Centre for Transitional Justice (ACT-J) has equally expressed concerns over what it described as the continued attacks, torture and harassment of journalists in South Sudan.

ACTJ’s executive director, Peter Gai Manyuon called on South Sudan government to respect the freedoms of press and expression stipulated in the country’s Transitional Constitution.

“Torturing, harassment or killing journalists and human rights defenders is an act of terrorism that should be observed with care by international human rights bodies,” Manyuon said in a statement.

He cited an incident in which Afandi Deng, a South Sudanese editor who had earlier been kidnapped was abandoned at a graveside in the South Sudan capital this week.

“Journalism is not terrorism, neither a criminal act, but a profession to educate society. Anyone who harasses, tortures and kills journalists in South Sudan should be referred to as a terrorist,” he said.

(ST)